“i’m the only one left.” one persistent theme in ashley’s life is that she is always, always the sole survivor. on eden prime, she’s the last one standing, and again on the citadel [ a station full of c-sec officers and spectres and mercenaries ] she is the only one successful at keeping the council alive and safe. on horizon, she is one of the only ones left. there’s a lot to be said about ashley capabilities – her ability to fight aside, she’s incredibly driven and stubborn with a I Refuse To Die Here attitude (unless she’s dying for a cause, in which case she’s more than happy to give her life for it), and it carries her throughout the game as someone who, simply Won’t give up. but this often results in her having a case of survivor’s guilt a mile wide–especially with “failures” like horizon and eden prime, where she simply couldn’t save anyone, couldn’t do anything but make it out alive. by the time ME3 starts, she’s grown a lot from the person we meet in ME1, full of hidden insecurity and doubts about her self worth, but i think there’s still a lot she has to unpack regarding her guilt complexes, and accepting what she can and cannot control.
. . . BUT ACCEPTING IT, EMBRACING IT, can be the difference between success & sitting at home in your pjs taking red sand.
kaidan alenko of mass effect. reaved by jaewon ♡